“Life,” he said softly, “is more than flesh. Your body is a candle, your soul the flame. The longer I burn the candle…” He did not finish.
“A candle unused is nothing but wax and wick,” I said.“I would rather light the flame, knowing it will go out than sit forever in darkness.”

Title: Wintersong

Author: S. Jae-Jones

Series: Standalone

Publication: February 7th 2017 by Thomas Dunne

Pages: 448

Source: Publisher in exchange for a honest review

Summary from Goodreads:

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

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My Thoughts:

Wow. I am in awe. I honestly cannot form the words to explain what I feel at this moment. It’s like biting into the perfect apple on a hot summer day, or listening to your favorite song and hitting that point where goosebumps climb across your skin. Wintersong is a musical masterpiece of romance, intrigue, and myth. It ebbs and flows and hits all the right notes with beauty and eloquence. Wintersong tells the tale of the Goblin King and a brave maiden dancing a delicate balance of love and old ways. What a stunning work of art.

I had no idea this book was a Labyrinth re-telling, which was perfectly fine because I’ve never actually seen the movie (Blasphemous, I know). Therefore, I can’t compare the book to the movie. I went into Wintersong blind, and what a treat it was. Not knowing what I was getting myself into provided the foundation for a wondrous experience. Now, from what I’ve seen, people who have seen and love the movie also adore the book for the most part – so it’s been a win win.

Lisel’s war of wits and passion with the Goblin King is a seductive one indeed.  The book reads like two separate novels: the beginning in the human realm and the life after her sacrifice. It’s mind boggling. The whole atmosphere shifts with the plot and it is mesmerizing.

“You are the monster I claim.”

The writing is dark and frightening yet utterly consuming. It draws you in and drowns you in wild abandon and magic and the force of nature that is the Goblin King. The narrative is raw, unflinching, and honest. Characters are flawed, they unravel and pull themselves back together through their sheer force of will and the barest hints of a thread. The romance is a paradox of opposites yet perfectly balanced. Every detail plays a role, every detail has a purpose and a deeper meaning. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

Wintersong is a jewel with millions of sparkling facets. It is sensational, intoxicating, and thrillingly innovative. Wintersong is the kind of novel you can lose yourself in over and over again – like playing your favorite song on repeat only it never grows old. If you only read one book this new year, make it this one.

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Excerpt:

Once there was a little girl who played her music for a little boy in the wood. She was small and dark, he was tall and fair, and the two of them made a fancy pair as they danced together, dancing to the music the little girl heard in her head.
Her grandmother had told her to beware the wolves that prowled in the wood, but the little girl knew the little boy was not dangerous, even if he was the king of the goblins.
Will you marry me, Elisabeth? the little boy asked, and the little girl did not wonder at how he knew her name.
Oh, she replied, but I am too young to marry.

Then I will wait, the little boy said. I will wait as long as you remember.
And the little girl laughed as she danced with the Goblin King, the little boy who was always just a little older, a little out of reach.
As the seasons turned and the years passed, the little girl grew older but the Goblin King remained the same. She washed the dishes, cleaned the floors, brushed her sister’s hair, yet still ran to the forest to meet her old friend in the grove. Their games were different now, truth and forfeit and challenges and dares.
Will you marry me, Elisabeth? the little boy asked, and the little girl did not yet understand his question was not part of a game.
Oh, she replied, but you have not yet won my hand.

Then I will win, the little boy said. I will win until you surrender.
And the little girl laughed as she played against the Goblin King, losing every hand and every round.
Winter turned to spring, spring to summer, summer into autumn, autumn back into winter, but each turning of the year grew harder and harder as the little girl grew up while the Goblin King remained the same. She washed the dishes, cleaned the floors, brushed her sister’s hair, soothed her brother’s fears, hid her father’s purse, counted the coins, and no longer went into the woods to see her old friend.
Will you marry me, Elisabeth? the Goblin King asked. But the little girl did not reply.

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